


Brought together by thoughts (on a shirt)

by generally_nice



Series: Author’s faves [4]
Category: Matched Trilogy - Ally Condie, The Giver Series - Lois Lowry, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bakugou Katsuki Needs a Hug, Cute Bakugou Katsuki, F/M, Fluff, Language Barrier, M/M, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Todoroki Shouto is Bad at Feelings, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24830605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/generally_nice/pseuds/generally_nice
Summary: Katsuki and Shouto live in very different worlds. Katsuki, a member of The Society, his whole life mandated and scheduled, his very thoughts written on his shirt. Shouto, living freely outside The Wall, wondering what, or who, lies within. It just so happens that the very thoughts that Katsuki despises bring the two together.
Relationships: Ashido Mina & Bakugou Katsuki & Kaminari Denki & Kirishima Eijirou & Sero Hanta, Ashido Mina/Kirishima Eijirou, Asui Tsuyu & Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi & Todoroki Shouto & Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki & Sero Hanta, Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Slight Todoroki Shouto/Yaoyorozu Momo
Series: Author’s faves [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163399
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	Brought together by thoughts (on a shirt)

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was loosely based on The Giver and the Matched trilogy, so I included them in the tags. Hope you enjoy!

Katsuki straightened his shirt before stepping into his slides. 

His old friend Hanta sometimes came to visit with his other friends, and he always talked about what clothing he had been working on that day. Hanta was a Tailor. Katsuki always listened intently to those conversations, wondering where those wonderful clothes went, and why he couldn’t have them.

He wished that he could wear colorful clothing, or at least a different color than the plain white government mandated stuff. Every citizen wore a white t-shirt, white cotton pants, and white slides. 

That’s it. No variation, no discrimination. Katsuki would be okay with it if it actually worked. No discrimination his ass. Just on his commute to work he saw three different people be pushed around because of what was written on their shirt. 

He looked down at his own, mildly interested in what his most prominent thought was. **No discrimination my ass**. 

Shoot. That could get him arrested. The words swirled and morphed. **Can’t get arrested**.

To be honest, that wasn’t much better. Oh well. He’d pay attention to his shirt later. He had a job to get to, after all.

Maybe he would enjoy the walk to work a little more if there was literally anything interesting to look at. Everything was just grey. Grey sky, grey buildings, grey roads. The only thing that was varied was hair and skin color. Even then, most people had dark hair and a light complexion. Katsuki had the light complexion, but his spiky hair was ashy blond. An anomaly.

“Hey! Worker Bakugou!” Ah, here was another anomaly. Denki also had blond hair, but his was far more yellow than Katsuki’s.

Katsuki turned to him with a scowl. “What do you want.”

Katsuki did not enjoy Denki’s company. The ball of energy he contained was far too intolerable for Katsuki. Denki fell into step beside him, grinning. “I just wanted to walk to work with you, Worker Bakugou! We do share a workplace, after all!”

Katsuki inwardly gagged. Some of the shit rules that the government had put into place were to be happy and be respectful. Denki would be a model citizen if those were the only rules. Katsuki hated model citizens. “Whatever.”

Thankfully, the pair soon reached the building where they worked. In separate departments from each other. Katsuki had never been more glad that he worked in sorting. It was dull work, but at least Denki didn’t share the same job. Katsuki stepped up to his station, and proceeded to sort.

Plastic, paper, metal, metal, tactile, paper. These were the bold words written on most of the white shirts here. Katsuki never stopped once in his sorting, knowing full well that if he did the consequences wouldn’t be worth the satisfaction of slowing progress.

Maybe another day.

\----

Shouto walked down the path, enjoying the greenery around him. 

Well, at least the greenery on his left. To his right stood The Wall. The only thing that passed through the gates to the inside of The Wall were supply trucks. They went in empty, and came out full of supplies. The only ones that went in full were recycling trucks. 

He wondered what happened inside The Wall. Were there people inside? What kind of life did they live? After all, most of what he bought at the store had the signature logo on the side, marking that it came from inside.

He looked at his own watch, turning his wrist upwards to see the symbol engraved on the back of the silver band. It looked like letters, but not of the language he spoke. He wondered what it said.

Shouto continued his walk, and he wondered.

\----

Katsuki ran his hand under the faucet, letting the cool water wash away the blood and grime. He winced as he dabbed his hand with a towel before wrapping it tightly in bandages. He had sliced open his palm on a broken bottle earlier in the day. Not like he was allowed to stop his work, what kind of blasphemy would that be? Stop the progress of the Society? Never.

Stopping progress was as bad as shooting someone. Maybe worse.

People who stopped progress disappeared. Thrown into the river, over the wall, taken into a building never to be seen again. That’s why Katsuki didn’t stop. The whipping that he had gotten for slowing down was a far better fate. 

There was a knock at his door, and he limped over to find that Denki, Mina, Hanta, and Eijirou were standing on the other side. His old schoolmates, before their placement. “What do you losers want? I have shit to take care of.”

He scowled at them as they forced their way inside. He ended up on a stool, shirt off, Mina behind him tending to his cuts. “These are nasty, Bakubro.”

Denki hissed through his teeth. “Healer Mina, titles.” 

Mina scoffed softly as she continued to clean his wounds. Katsuki had to agree with her frustration. They were all so close, why did titles matter? He supposed that the government was always watching, so it was best to tread carefully. He knew that Denki meant well, it just aggravated him.

Eijirou brought him a glass of water. “Here. You’re probably dehydrated.”

Katsuki took it, nodding a silent thanks. He watched his reflection wobble in the surface of the glassy liquid. It made his eyes look like they were bleeding. He shuddered as he took a sip, shaking off the thought. 

Denki smiled at Eijirou. “Good thinking, Sentinel Eijirou.” 

Eijirou grinned back, but the gesture didn’t reach his eyes. Katsuki wasn’t sure what it was exactly that Eijirou did, but he had seen Sentinels patrolling the city many times before. In fact, it was Sentinels that whipped him. He frowned, taking another sip of water. Eijirou would never do that to someone. Would he?

\----

“Shouto! Where have you been? We’ve been looking around everywhere!” Izuku’s big green eyes met Shouto’s own multicolored ones, forehead creased in worry.

Shouto took his hand. “I went on a walk.”

Izuku blushed at the sudden contact. “Shouto, why are you holding my hand?”

Shouto sighed, releasing it. “Sorry. I still forget what’s normal between friends.”

Izuku looked up at him, smiling. “It’s okay. Friends usually just walk together, but if you want when we see each other we can hug. Like this!”

Izuku wrapped his arms around Shouto’s waist, and Shouto smiled, returning the gesture. “I’d like that.”

Ochako and Tenya walked up from behind Izuku. “Hey, you found him! Where have you been, Shouto?”

Ochako sounded worried. Shouto shrugged. “On a walk. I’m here now.”

His friends looked relieved. He looked over their heads, a little confused. “Are Tenya and Hitoshi not here?”

Tsu shook her head. “They went to the library. We were going to head there after we found you. Would you like to come?”

Shouto nodded. “I’d like that.”

Sitting in the library, Shouto flipped through a thick book. It was titled _Delta - A History_. The content was self explanatory. Hitoshi had laughed at his choice of reading material, saying that it was unbelievably dull. Shouto didn’t know what he meant by that. He thought it was quite interesting.

Hitoshi was reading an adventure book, titled _Hamlet_. Shouto didn’t understand the appeal to made up stories. He didn’t understand a lot of things, actually. He sighed, pausing in his perusal of the history book. 

Izuku noticed, patting his arm. Izuku knew the cause of his abrupt stop. He knew.

\----

Katsuki carefully pulled on his fresh white shirt, avoiding his back injury to the best of his ability. Walking was still tricky, but he’d had it way worse before. He made it to work without running into anyone he knew, and got to his station a little early.

Katsuki couldn’t help but notice that the station next to him was empty, even after everyone else had arrived. 

Later that day, it was declared that the person had fallen into the river that morning.

Katsuki was pretty sure that they had just thought the wrong thing.

His days blended together, with the occasional whipping. He had quite a few scars on his back and legs. He guessed that his mutilated body didn’t matter, he would never be eligible for a Partner anyway. Not with his record.

Eijirou had applied for a partner a few months ago, and he had recently been approved. So had Mina. To both of their utter delight, they became Partners. Katsuki was happy for them, he really was. He just wished that he could have someone too.

One day at work, he was thinking about Partners again. His shirt proudly displayed the words **I wonder if someone would be my Partner, if I were eligible**. His coworkers teased him about it, but he didn’t retaliate. Retaliating would mean more whipping. He didn’t fancy a whipping that day.

Many days passed, and he hadn’t been whipped for a long time. His friends noticed. They were currently sitting in his apartment. Mina noticed especially, the one who always cleaned him up. “Taking better care of yourself, I see.”

Her tone sounded sad, not relieved. Katsuki wondered why. Did she enjoy watching him be beat? No, that wasn’t it. He looked at her strangely. “You sound sad, Healer Mina.”

The minute the words left his mouth, he realized why she sounded that way. He had lost his spirit. The Society had finally broken him. He dropped his head in his hands. “Oh shit. What’s happening to me?”

Mina sat next to him, hugging him from the side. “I don’t know.”

Her voice was barely a whisper. Katsuki looked at Hanta. “Can you tell me about the clothes?”

Hanta nodded. “Today I made the most wonderful shirt. It was navy blue with silver buttons, so shiny that you could see your reflection. The blue was like the night sky on a clear day, you know those rare days when the clouds expose the stars? Yeah. Whoever gets that is one lucky guy. It would look nice on you, Bakubro.”

Katsuki leaned into Mina. “I bet so.”

\----

“Woah, Shouto! That’s a nice shirt!” Shouto smiled at Izuku, nodding. He looked down at the deep blue fabric, playing with the shiny buttons. Each button had the same symbol, with those same strange letters. Maybe if they went to the library that day, Shouto could do some research.

He turned to face Tenya. He always made the plans, so Shouto thought it was best to ask him. “Tenya, are we going to the library today?”

Tenya shrugged. “If you want to we can go. Anyone else want to?”

Tsu shook her head. “Me, Ochako, and Izuku are going to the beach. What about you, Hitoshi?”

Hitoshi sighed. “I guess I’ll go to the library. I wanted to finish that book I was reading yesterday anyway.”

So that’s how the trio had ended up back in the library, Shouto with a stack of language books next to him. Hitoshi was once again reading _Hamlet_ , and Tenya was writing. Shouto skimmed through one of his books. He knew that the mystery language had to be in one of these thick novels. 

Iida paused in his writing, a frown on his face. Shouto watched as his forehead creased in what appeared to be frustration. “Tenya, do you need help?”

Tenya nodded. “I can’t figure out what to say next. You can try and help, if you like.”

Tenya handed over the latest page of his book, ink still drying. Shouto had read his draft many times. He looked at the very last line. Leon ran from the city, his heart broken beyond repair. Shouto thought for a moment before looking at Tenya again. “Leon should get lost in the woods. That scene should flow nicely into your kidnapping scene.”

Tenya smiled at him as he handed the page back. “That’s an excellent idea! I’m glad I let you read my outline. Thanks.”

Shouto nodded before looking back down at his own book. He had to find that language.

A few hours later, he was still looking through the books when someone tapped his shoulder. He turned, nervous, and upon seeing who it was he relaxed. “Hello, Momo. Would you like to join us?”

She sat next to him, holding a book of poetry. “Thanks for letting me. What are you doing, Shouto? Have a research project to do?”

She was eyeing his pile of books. It was half as tall as it was when he had started, but there were still a good number left. He shook his head, not looking up from the book he was currently on. “I’m looking for something.”

Momo leaned in, curious. “What are you looking for?”

Shouto paused, meeting her eyes. “The language that comes from inside The Wall.”

Momo shushed him, eyes wide. “You aren’t supposed to talk about that!”

Shouto shrugged, turning back to his search. Momo pretended to ignore him for a minute, before turning to him once again. “Okay I’ll help.”

So that’s how Shouto had ended up sitting next to Momo in the library, long after Tenya and Hitoshi had gone, searching through pages of languages as the light left the sky. Momo closed her book with a sigh. “That’s the last one.”

Shouto frowned. His own book only had a few pages left. He quickly turned through them, no to avail. Frowning deeper, he ran his hand over the inside back cover. A bit of the paper peeled up, revealing another page behind. He pulled it out, flattening it on the table.

He turned to Momo, eyes wide as he looked it over. “This is it.”

She scooted closer to him, their arms brushing as they leaned over the paper. “You’re right.”

Shouto took off his watch, lying it face down on the table. “Okay, this matches this. S, and then O, then C, I, E, T, Y. What that’s supposed to mean? How do you even say it?”

It wasn’t really that revolutionary, what they had done. They’d only rewritten the word out on paper, and figured out what the language was. Shouto knew that this was all they’d be getting from the library.

Momo frowned down at their newly formed word. “It says here that the language is called English. Maybe it’s pronounced similar to one of the ones we saw earlier. I’ve seen these letters, so have you, right?”

Shouto nodded. He recalled that a language called Spanish had those letters. Momo had German and Spanish. “Okay. Which do you think it resembles the most?”

Shouto looked at the three, thinking. “Spanish.”

Momo nodded. “In that case, it says ‘SOCIETY’. What does it mean, I wonder?”

Shouto picked up the spanish dictionary. He flipped to the ‘S’ section, looking for a similar word to the one that they had written. He paused on one. “Hey, Momo. This might be it.”

She looked to where he was pointing. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I think we found it.”

After a quick translation, they had the definition.

Sociedad (Spanish), Society (English): the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.

So there were people inside. Inside The Wall, there was a Society.

\----

Katsuki staggered back to his apartment with his shirt and pants in tatters, his dark crimson blood a stark contrast against the white fabric, the grey cement beneath his feet. People turned to look at him, disappointment in each piercing gaze. He wanted to tell them to leave him alone, but he didn’t have the strength to speak. 

He tripped, arms flailing as he fell forward. He was caught on each side by strong arms, supporting his weight. It was Hanta and Eijirou. He tried to shrug them off, wincing at the pain it caused. “Go. You’ll get punished.”

Eijirou shook his head. “So be it. Your life is more important.”

Hanta nodded. “He’s right. We weren’t about to let our friend drag himself up to his apartment in such a state. Let us help.”

Katsuki gave in, barely able to hold himself up anyway. Mina appeared at one point, watching in worry as the two men dragged Katsuki down the street. Katsuki was in and out of consciousness. At one point he blacked out, and when he came to, he was lying facedown on his dining table. Mina was dabbing at his back with a wet rag, gently. He tensed in pain, and all three of his friends whipped their heads toward him with the sudden movement.

Katsuki gasped as the rag was pressed to his torn skin again, squeezing his eyes shut as tears fell. “Hanta… tell me about the clothes.”

Hanta sat down near his head, taking his hand. “Today I designed a dress. It was bright red, just like your eyes. Like Eijirou’s eyes.”

Hanta failed to mention that it also resembled his blood. “It was floor length, with a slit running up the right leg, all the way to the top of the thigh. The chest also had a deep plunge, it was a halter. The fabric was like magic, Katsuki. It was silk, and it felt almost liquid under my fingers. When placed on a mannequin to test the movement, it danced and flowed like water. I wish you could’ve seen it.”

Katsuki didn’t realize it, but Mina had been applying ointment to his back and legs whilst Hanta spoke. “Thanks guys. I’d probably be dead if it wasn’t for you.”

He let out a twisted laugh, the reality of how near his death had been shaking him to the core. Hanta squeezed his hand. “Of course. We’d never just leave you. Never.”

Hanta sounded unsure. Katsuki didn’t blame him. “I hope you guys don’t get punished.”

Mina paused in her work. “I won’t be punished too badly. They need me. I’m not worried about Sero either. Kiri, will you be alright?”

The worry in her voice made Katsuki want to cry. Actually, a lot of things made him want to cry just that minute. Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad. At least he would be free. 

“I can handle whatever they throw at me.” Eijirou sounded confident, but the drop in his voice at the end revealed his true fear. A tear slipped down Katsuki’s cheek.

His voice cracked when he spoke. “I’m sorry.”

Mina froze. “Don’t you ever be sorry. Never. The fact that you got punished means that we got you back. That’s all that I care about.”

She helped him sit up so that she could bandage him up. He met her determined gaze. As she began to wrap him in gauze, he began to cry. Heavy sobs wracked his body, and Mina had stopped, alarmed. “Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry!”

Katsuki shook his head, wiping his eyes. “No.”

He covered his face with his hands, letting the sorrow take him over. Mina gently hugged him, and he clutched her shirt, bawling like a baby. 

At one point, he stopped crying, and his friends left for their own residences. He laid on his stomach in bed, a plan forming in his mind.

All he had to do was let these cuts heal.

\----

“I wonder what people do inside. In the Society.” Shouto was walking with Momo. The query surprised him. Momo was the one who had made sure that he kept their little discovery a secret.

He shrugged. “Work, live, who knows. A lot of stuff comes out of there every morning. They also take all of our recycling.” 

Momo sighed. “I guess.” 

They were walking through town. It was early morning, the sky just turning pink. Shouto turned to Momo. “Can I show you something?”

She smiled. “Okay.”

Shouto took her hand, deciding that hand holding between friends was okay sometimes. He led her to the forest, navigating the trees with expert precision. This was where he spent most of his time, after all. They reached a lake. Momo gaped in astonishment.

The new sun reflected off the crystalline water, it’s orange glow creating a streak of color against the cool grey surface of the lake. Momo stepped forward. “It’s like there are two skies. I feel like if I broke the surface, I’d end up in another dimension.”

Shouto sat down on the dewy grass, smiling. She was beautiful, really. Izuku had told him about marriage. Maybe he could marry her. He would ask Izuku about it later. Right now, he would just enjoy the view. Both the woman and the scenery in front of him. It would make a lovely painting, he decided. 

He pulled out his camera, snapping a quick photo. Momo turned at the sound. Shouto smiled as the picture was printed. “I wanted to paint you.”

Momo blushed at his words, before sitting next to him. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Shouto was alarmed by her red cheeks. “Are you cold? Here, have my jacket.”

He shrugged off the thick coat, wrapping it around her shoulders. She smiled softly. “Thanks.”

Shouto chuckled. “You say thanks a lot.”

Momo nodded. “That’s because I am gracious.”

Shouto wondered what she meant by that. 

\----

“No! Please don’t take him! Ah!” Katsuki winced at the cry of pain. Mina really needed to watch out for herself. She’d be punished for sure for that outburst. Katsuki felt bad, he really did, but he couldn’t stay there any longer. Hopefully the fall wouldn’t be deadly. Hopefully they didn’t throw him into the river.

They threw him into the river.

The cold water seemed to freeze his blood as it enveloped him. He thrashed in the unforgiving waves, the current pulling him swifty out of the city. He entered a dark tunnel, fighting to keep his head above the water.

He was slammed against a hard surface, and was soon swept into the depths of the water, his limp form moving with the flow of the waves. 

\----

Shouto didn’t know what to do. He was just on one of his daily walks, when he found the man. The man was laying on the river bank, wearing all white clothes that resembled sleepwear. He didn’t have any shoes. He was completely soaked, and also relatively muddy. He looked pretty beat up too. Shouto didn’t know what to do.

He took a tentative step towards the body, nudging it with his foot. When there was no movement, he pressed his ear to the man’s chest. There was a heartbeat. Whoever this was, he was alive. Shouto made a decision.

He knew what to do.

\----

Katsuki coughed up water, squinting in the sunlight. He was being… carried? Well, sort of. His arm was over someone’s shoulder, and that same person had an arm around his waist. He pushed away, falling to his butt in the grass. Wait… grass?

He had made it out of the Society. 

He was in a forest, the trees so tall. There was so much color. And was that… sunlight? It filtered through the leaves of the dense canopy, casting fluttering rays on the shady path. “I made it.”

The other man, his rescuer, looked at him strangely. Katsuki took a good look at him. He was tall, really tall, and his hair was definitely abnormal. It was half red half white, and the left side of his face, the red side, had a large burn scar. Katsuki couldn’t help but wonder what caused it. His eyes were also multicolored. One was a piercing icy blue, and one a dark silver. 

The most intriguing thing about the man, besides his odd colored eyes and hair, were his clothes. The shirt he was wearing, the pants, the shoes. None of it was white. The man was looking at Katsuki’s shirt. Katsuki looked down. **Colors. You’re wearing colors**. 

He squinted at it, before speaking. “ _What does your shirt say?_ ”

Katsuki had no idea what this guy was saying. Was there another way of speaking, in the real world? The man held out his hand, and Katsuki took it, wary. The man helped him stand up, and Katsuki found that he was weak on his feet. The man slung an arm around Katsuki’s waist, and Katsuki felt his cheeks heat up. He shook off the feeling, putting his own arm around the man’s shoulders. 

Katsuki had an idea. With his free hand, he pointed to his chest. “Katsuki.”

The man seemed to understand, pointing at his own chest. “ _Shouto._ ”

Shouto. Katsuki liked that name. “Shouto.” 

The unfamiliar word rolled off his tongue, and Shouto smiled. He pointed at Katsuki. “ _Katsuki._ ”

\----

“Shouto! Do you have any idea how much trouble we could get in for this?” Izuku was worried, rightfully so. No one from inside The Wall had ever been seen before. Even the truck drivers were guarded by heavily tinted windows, if there were drivers.

Shouto glanced at the exhausted blond before turning back to Izuku with a shrug. “He’s staying with me.”

Izuku sighed, dragging his hands down his face. “You can’t be serious.”

Shouto was most definitely serious. Izuku sat in his living room, across from Katsuki. Katsuki had apparently found the energy to glare at the greenette, who was mumbling again. Shouto tapped his shoulder. “Izuku, you’re mumbling.”

Katsuki pointed at Izuku. “ _Izuku?_ ”

Shouto nodded, and Izuku gaped. “You don’t speak Japanese?”

Katsuki looked at him strangely, before huffing and crossing his arms. His white-ish (it was still quite dirty) shirt swirled and the words changed. **Izuku’s pretty stupid**. Shouto and Izuku shared a glance. Neither of them had any idea what the shirt said. 

Katsuki glanced down, noticing their confused gazes. He smirked when he saw what was written there. He pointed to the first word, and then at Izuku. “ _Izuku._ ”

Izuku was very intrigued. “That’s my name?”

Shouto shrugged. “I guess so.”

Katsuki’s eyelids drooped. Shouto shot up from his seat, walking over to where the blond was sitting. Well, it was more like laying now. “Hey, you have to shower first.”

Katsuki blinked sleepily up at him. Shouto helped him up, walking him to the bathroom. Izuku followed. Shouto called over his shoulder. “Izuku, can you get him something comfy to wear from my room?”

Izuku squeaked. “Y-yeah, s-sure.”

Shouto half-carried Katsuki into the bathroom, and upon finding that he could hardly stand (duh), he drew a bath instead. Katsuki seemed to recognize that, looking at the various bottles on the edge of the tub in mild interest. Shouto pointed to the shampoo, then pointed to his hair. Then he pointed to the bar of soap, and pointed to his chest. Katsuki nodded. Shouto pulled some towels out of the cabinet before leaving the room.

\----

Katsuki sunk into the hot water, enjoying the feeling. Shouto had put something in the water that created bubbles on the surface. Katsuki hated to admit it, but he liked the little piles of foam resting on the water.

He washed his hair before working on getting the dirt off his body. The bath felt nice on his sore muscles, so he stayed in for a while longer before stepping out of the tub. He dried off, wrapping a towel loosely around his waist.

He was examining the bruises and scrapes he had suffered from his time in the river when there was a light knock at the door. He opened it to find Izuku standing there with a bundle of something in his arms. He turned bright red when he saw Katsuki’s half covered state, thrusting the bundle at him. Katsuki smirked. “Like what you see, dumbass?”

Izuku had shut his eyes, and was backing away. “ _I have no idea what you’re saying, but I have a feeling that it would make me more embarrassed! Here’s some clothes! I’ll leave you to it!_ ”

Katsuki cocked his head at the smaller man as he ran away, and shut the bathroom door. Upon further examination, he had been given clothes. Colorful clothes. Katsuki ran his hands over the thick orange shirt. It had long sleeves. Sweatshirt, he recalled from Hanta. He hoped that his friends were alright. 

The other piece of clothing was dark green. It was a pair of incredibly soft pants. Sweatpants. He had also been given black boxer short underwear. His face heated at the thought of who else had worn those in the past. Pushing the thoughts aside, he quickly got dressed, and stepped out of the bathroom. He heard voices from the other room, in that unfamiliar way of speaking.

“ _Shouto, you can’t just keep him._ ” That was Izuku, the dumb one.

“ _I know. I’m just going to teach him Japanese. After that, he can do what he wants._ ” That was Shouto.

A large sigh occurred after that. Probably Izuku. Katsuki had the sneaking suspicion that the greenette didn’t care for him much. That was fine with Katsuki. He didn’t exactly care for the nerd either. 

“Shouto?” Katsuki stood in the doorway of the living room, looking at the two men who were talking. The clothes were kind of big on him, but he didn’t mind. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. Shouto smiled at him. Katsuki didn’t understand why he liked that smile so much.

\----

Shouto couldn’t help but smile at Katsuki. He was cute. The clothes were far too large on him, enveloping his smaller-than-Shouto sized body in folds of soft cotton material. Shouto turned to Izuku. “I wanted to ask you something.”

Katsuki walked over, sitting next to Shouto. As he drifted off, he fell against Shouto’s side. Shouto couldn’t say that he minded. Izuku watched this with mild interest. “Yeah? What was it?”

Shouto smiled down at Katsuki’s sleeping form. “Am I allowed to marry whoever I like?”

Izuku sputtered, obviously surprised by the question. “Y-yeah, I g-guess. As long as you love them and they love you.”

Shouto nodded. Izuku looked at him curiously. “Why? Is there anyone you love?”

Shouto shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe so.”

Man, Shouto was a terrible liar.

\----

When Katsuki woke up, he found that he was curled up on the couch. Someone had put a blanket over him. He sat up, stretching. He was still sore, but he felt a million times better than he did the previous day. Shouto was sitting at the table, looking at a piece of paper.

Katsuki leaned over his shoulder, seeing that it was a basic guide to English. Shouto smiled when he noticed Katsuki. “ _Good morning, Katsuki._ ”

Katsuki assumed he’d probably said something along the lines of hello or good morning. He sat down next to his rescuer, watching his movements. He was looking at the English paper, speaking softly, and then writing down a strange symbol with a few letters next to it. Katsuki realized what he was doing. 

Shouto was teaching him to speak in whatever weird way that he did. Katsuki read off a few of the sounds. “Ka, Tsu, Ki.”

Shouto smiled at him, nodding. He wrote the three symbols together, pointing to Katsuki. “ _Katsuki._ ”

Katsuki picked up a spare pencil which was lying on the table. He wrote out the symbols. “Katsuki.”

And so his learning began.

\----

“Shouto, thirsty.” Katsuki still had a long way to go, but at least he could communicate. 

Shouto handed him a glass of water. “Water.”

Katsuki looked at the glass, testing the word on his tongue. “Water.”

Shouto smiled at Katsuki before taking a seat beside him. Katsuki was trying his best to read a book, skipping the kanji that he didn’t know. He knew all of his katakana and hirigana, though. Right now he was recopying what he knew, then reading it in both Japanese and English. 

“Ocha. _Green tea._ ” Katsuki was focused. Shouto thought that the way his forehead creased in concentration was cute. Katsuki suddenly paused. He stood up, setting his materials aside. He walked swiftly from the room, coming back with the white shirt he had arrived in.

He held it out to Shouto. “Wear. Help talk.”

Shouto thought that it was an excellent idea. He was feeling pretty stupid for not thinking of it before. Katsuki knew enough Japanese that Shouto could understand him, but Katsuki could not understand Shouto. He could read what the shirt said, though.

Shouto had no idea how the piece of clothing worked, but it appeared that it showed the wearer's most prominent thought. Shouto thought really hard about Katsuki. **Cute**. Katsuki pouted. “I’m not cute.”

Shouto smiled. The word stayed. Katsuki huffed, going back to his studying. There was a knock at the door. Katsuki looked up, worried. Shouto went over, opening it to see Momo. “Oh. Hey Momo.”

Momo had met Katsuki already. He nodded when she walked in. She really helped with his learning. Shouto was a pretty terrible teacher. He enjoyed watching the lessons, though.

Momo spoke to Katsuki. “I love you.”

For a minute, Shouto was jealous. Until Katsuki responded, slowly. “I love you.”

It was just part of the lesson. Shouto noticed that Katsuki glanced at Shouto when he said the words, blushing a little. 

And Shouto blushed right back. His shirt revealed his thoughts. **I love you**.

And Katsuki smiled.

\----

The day that Katsuki kissed Shouto was a good one. 

The two were walking through the city, hand in hand, when Katsuki paused. “Library?”

Shouto grinned. “Of course.”

Katsuki’s Japanese had improved enough that he could pretty much read anything, spare a few kanji. He really was a fast learner. Whenever he got stuck, he tapped Shouto gently on the shoulder and pointed to where he was stuck. Shouto would help him read those spots, and then he would say it to himself a few times.

It was really cute. 

Katsuki suddenly looked up at Shouto, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. “Shouto.”

Shouto, who was already watching him, met his gaze. “Katsuki?”

Katsuki glanced around, and upon seeing that the area was clear, lunged forward to press a kiss to Shouto’s lips. Shouto melted into the action, wrapping his arms around Katsuki. 

Katsuki pulled away first, resting his forehead against Shouto’s. “I love you.”

He sounded determined. Shouto could match that. “I love you too.”

Crimson eyes met his in the deep shadows of the library. 

That day, Katsuki was wearing the white shirt, for communicative purposes. Shouto could just barely make out what it said, a pattern of letters that he had come to be familiar with.

**Could you be my Partner?**

Katsuki watched Shouto as he looked at the bold words. Shouto slowly looked up. Katsuki looked nervous, realizing that Shouto understood.

Shouto took his hands, and when he spoke, his voice was no more than a breathy whisper. 

“Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this one shot! I had a lot of fun writing it. Can you see where I got my inspiration? :) 
> 
> Part two?
> 
> Much love, Nice


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